NEARLY every pocket of Victoria has benefited from Les Smith’s green thumb. The 86-year-old, dubbed a “godfather of environmental advocacy”, is Environment Victoria’s longest serving volunteer and was instrumental in saving the Little Desert National Park from subdivision in the late 1960s. The former organic chemist with the CSIRO still gets his hands dirty each week, propagating native species.

“It’s pretty amazing that our society has reached a point where the effort necessary to extract oil from the ground, ship it to a refinery, turn it into plastic, shape it appropriately, truck it to a store, buy it and bring it home is considered to be less effort than what it takes to just wash the spoon when you’re done with it.”

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All the food we served at the festival is vegetarian, with vegan and gluten free options and all our catering ware is 100% compostable and 100% biodegradable.

Weare very proud to say that the festival opening day generatedless than 1/4 of a small rubbish bin of rubbish. Even less than that of recyclable material and the rest was all compostable.

At the 2013 festival Lee “Sonnyboy” Morgan when sangs hisRECONCILIATION SONG

I been working 9/5 I don’t know how I’ll survive
when I’ve given all I can and you want more.A little boy and a pretty wife and sometimes it don’t seem rite
for you to give a little and still want more.You’re standing on that picket line and the days go by
with much to say and so much more.So gather round this country now take a hold and I’ll show you howare we looking down that same road.

CHORUS
Come and walk with me and talk with me
then you can see all around.
Come and take my hand
and I’ll show you this great wide land.
Then we can share what we have.

See the black man and the white, neither will give up the fight
and it’s, gunna take a little time.Their little faces and their smiles, so damn easy as a child
You and I, we got a lot to learn coming down.A little boy asks his Father tell me a little about myself
Are we looken down that same road?

CHORUSCome and walk with me and talk with me
then you can see all around.
Come and take my hand
and I’ll show you this great wide land.
Then we can share what we have.

So here it is, this is our wonderful life I hope we all get it riteand I’m gunna give the best I can. Leave it all behind the linesof what’s wrong and what is right and what is right in the end.

CHORUS
Come and walk with me and talk with me
then you can see all around.
Come and take my hand
and I’ll show you this great wide land.
Then we can share what we have.